Though no foreign, (i.e., European) adversary arose during the Civil War
years, there was, at least up until late 1862, a distinct possibility that
either Britain or France might ally themselves with the Confederacy, in part due
to the much ballyhooed 'cotton diplomacy', as well as British and French
complicity in fitting out raiders such as Alabama. Fortunately, this did
not materialize.

However, as late as 1864, Secretary of the Navy Welles still felt it
necessary to begin a program for a significant number of fast steam sloops
designed specifically as commerce raiders. As the Confederacy had no commerce to
speak of, these ships were obviously intended for a foreign conflict. When
Emperor Maximilian appeared in Mexico, the bete noir of European interference in
the hemisphere seemed to be at the doorstep.

With these factors in view, it might be well to present a short description
of a selected group of foreign navies, as they were in 1860.

Great Britain in 1860 was not yet the ally she would become in the twentieth
century. She was nor, on the other hand, the ogre of the era of George III.
Between these two extremes there was a certain affinity, yet not complete trust.

Merely a name list of the British navy's vessels in 1860 would be sufficient
to make the point that their fleet was an overwhelming force. In specifics, the
inventory included fifty-three steam ships of the line (60 to 131 guns and 2400
to 4200 tons), plus twenty-one on the ineffective list. (The United States had
no steam liners.) There were 128 steam cruising vessels -- corvettes, sloops and
frigates -- plus ten sailing ships of the line and an equal number of sailing
frigates and sloops. Screw and paddle-wheel gunboats of 2 to 6 guns numbered
197.

During the years of the Civil War, twelve new ironclads were commissioned,
totalling approximately 212 guns. These were oceangoing ships with broadside
batteries. As will be seen, the American ironclads were almost exclusively
coastal or river vessels.

In France, the fleet numbered thirty-seven screw liners of up to 130 guns
each; fifteen screw frigates and eighty-four steam corvettes and sloops, plus at
least twenty-five gunboats. The sailing fleet included eight ships of the line,
twenty-seven frigates, and thirty-four corvettes and brigs.

Beginning with Gloire (1860), the French would have eleven ironclads
in commission by 1865. Additionally, there would be seven new coastal defense
floating batteries, over and above the five batteries constructed for the
Crimean War. Finally, during the Civil War years, some thirteen new screw
cruisers would be commissioned.

Again, the French navy was a formidable force. Though the US fleet would
outnumber them in vessels by 1865, as will be seen, the majority of the American
ships were hastily converted merchant ships suited for little more than their
intended role: maintaining the blockade of southern coasts.

The Imperial Russian Navy was considered the third largest in this era. There
were ten screw line-of-battle ships, nine screw frigates, and twenty-six screw
sloops and corvettes. Between 1862 and 1865, four ironclads were built, two of
which were coastal vessels. It is noteworthy that ten monitors based on John
Ericsson's design were begun in 1863 and completed three years later.

In the western hemisphere, the most formidable navy other than that of the
United States was that of Brazil. This consisted of fifteen steam sloops and
twenty sailing ships. Eight steamers were under construction 1860, and five
ironclads were completed by 1865.

THE UNION FLEET, MARCH 1861 (Serviceable Vessels)

Vessel

Type

Guns

Location

Pawnee

screw sloop

8

Washington

Crusader

screw steamer

8

New York

Mohawk

screw steamer

5

New York

Supply

sail/storeship

4

New York

Sabine

sail/frigate

50

Pensacola

St. Louis

sail/sloop

20

Pensacola

Brooklyn

screw sloop

25

Pensacola

Wyandotte

screw steamer

5

Pensacola

Macedonian

sail/sloop

22

Vera Cruz

Cumberland**

sail/sloop

24

Norfolk (ord.)

Pocahontas

screw steamer

5

ret. from Vera Cruz

Powhatan

paddle steamer

11

ret. from Vera Cruz

Richmond

screw sloop

16

Mediterranean Sqdrn

Susquehanna

paddle sloop

15

Mediterranean Sqdrn

Iroquois

screw sloop

6

Mediterranean Sqdrn

Constellation

sail/sloop

22

African Squadron

Portsmouth

sail/sloop

22

African Squadron

Mohican

screw sloop

6

African Squadron

Mystic

screw steamer

5

African Squadron

Sumter

steamer

5

African Squadron

Sanjacinto

screw sloop

13

African Squadron

Relief

storeship

2

African Squadron

Congress

sail/frigate

50

Brazil Squadron

Seminole

steam sloop

5

Brazil Squadron

JohnAdams

sail/sloop

18

East Indies

Hartford

screw sloop

25

East Indies

Dakota

screw sloop

6

East Indies

Niagara

steam sloop

12

ret. from Japan

Saratoga

sail/sloop

18

Africa

Pulaski

screw steamer

1

Brazil

Saginaw

paddle steamer

3

East Indies

Michigan*

paddle steamer

1

Great Lakes

Saranac

paddle sloop

9

Pacific Squadron

Lancaster

screw sloop

25

Pacific Squadron

Potomac

sail/frigate

50

New York (ord.)

St.Lawrence

sail/frigate

50

New York (ord.)

Santee

sail/frigate

50

New York (ord.)

Savannah

sail/sloop

24

New York (ord.)

Jackson

sail/sloop

22

Philadelphia (ord.)

Vincennes

sail/sloop

15

Boston (ord.)

Marion

sail/sloop

15

Portsmouth (ord.)

Dale

sail/sloop

15

Portsmouth (ord.)

Preble

sail/sloop

10

Boston (ord.)

Bainbridge

brig

6

Boston (ord.)

Perry

brig

9

New York (ord.)

Roanoke

steam frigate

46?

New York (ord.)

Colorado

steam frigate

48

Boston (ord.)

Minnesota

steam frigate

48

Boston (ord.)

Wabash

steam frigate

48

New York (ord.)

Pensacola

screw sloop

24

not complete

Mississippi

paddle sloop

12

Boston (ord.)

Water Witch

paddle sloop

3

Philadelphia (ord.)

_____
*Vessel remained on Great Lakes during war.
**Towed from yard before yard was destroyed.
Ord: In ordinary at navy yard